Best Professional Video Editing Software 2017

Back in the early 2000s, it was the golden era of DV (digital video) tapes. Not exactly anyone could afford buying a professional video camera. Not to mention being able to edit the video content afterwards. And mobile phones used to have only VGA cameras that, except for color, looked almost the same as video content from the 1920’s. Years have passed and due to technological progress, we now prefer shooting everyday video content with photo cameras – DSLRs.

It’s 2017. Video content is now more popular than ever. In fact, it is so popular that no matter if we’re talking about social media, start-ups, business development, or famous brands, video content is the most used way of delivering messages. The direct-to-consumer switch in the entertainment and media industry made it so that at the end of 2016 over seventy-five percent of media content on the internet was video.

Furthermore, one now has easier access to both professional video equipment and software that can deliver high quality video content without huge expenses or specialized learning needs. These video editors are perfect whether for your business (maybe drone video or wedding video editing) or personal use.  All one needs to do is pick the right professional video editor, and then watch some tutorials to master these programs.

And that brings us to our main topic – two of the best professional video editing software of 2017 – Adobe’s Premiere Pro CC and Magix (previously Sony’s)  Vegas Pro 14. Why are these programs the best video editors of 2017?

1. Adobe Premiere Pro CC 

Part of Adobe’s Creative Cloud suite, Premiere Pro is THE best professional video editing software at the moment. Having the advantage of automatically importing any content coming from other software in the Creative Cloud (Photoshop, After Effects, Illustrator, etc),  Premiere Pro might just be the best video editing option for any person wanting to bridge multiple platforms in order to create solid final products.

The non-linear video editing software recently reached its 10^th version, Premiere Pro CC. This video editor is now a monthly fee, and with it brings constant updates and new features such as: Proxy workflow, Adobe Stock Video integration, New Lumetri Secondary Color with HSL controls, 360 VR video support, and Open Caption support. Check out all the new features in Premiere Pro.

Its interface resembles another popular video editing software, Final Cut Pro. This is likely due to the fact that a lot of Apple’s programmers were “adopted” by Adobe, bringing all their previous knowledge with them to Premiere Pro.

But let’s take a look at the software’s capabilities. Premiere Pro offers a large variety of video formats both when it comes to editing and choosing export formats. The software can handle anything from mobile device recorded footage (phone or tablet) to high quality footage including 4k, RED, 360 degree video or even 8k. There are multiple ways of improving your content from image stabilization, to color correction and a variety of customizable video transitions that’ll make your final edit look far better than you could’ve imagined.

One of the features I personally like is the time remapping option that allows you to speed up or slow down video content in order to get some great effects. Just be sure you click the Frame Blending option both for the timeline and then when exporting the clip. It will do wonders.

Now we all know time is money. And the developers at Adobe have came up with a way to save time while exporting your edited video. What’d they come up with? Adobe Media Encoder: a software that can handle the selected export options, while also assuring you are able to use Premier Pro during the export. It is especially useful when tight deadlines are knocking at your door. There’s no debate that this is the best professional video editing software out there.

 

Check plans and pricing for Premiere Pro

2. Vegas Pro 14 

Now let’s talk about the second best professional video editing software of 2017: Vegas Pro. After being owned by several different companies (known best by Sony), Vegas Pro managed to remain one of the best professional video editors for a large variety of content creators. It’s a great choice considering its capabilities, user interface and cost (one-time fee, opposite of Premiere Pro’s monthly fee).

Just as other such software, Vegas pro is a non-linear timeline based editing tool. Unique features include the ability to have high quality previews of video formats that are bigger than Full HD (1920 x 1080), Vegas Pro Connect iPad app, and Proxy editing. The Connect iPad app allows performing basic functions directly from the tablet to the desktop computer. You can work in real-time with other editors using the app. Vegas Pro also offers the ability to download the proxy version of the project. When you are away from your desktop, you can make lower quality edits that will be synced with your computer once you reach your home or office. This is one of the video editors greatest tools.

All other common video software features that a professional editor expects are present and it delivers high quality content when it comes to comparing it with other “industry standard” applications. No matter if it’s stabilizing, masking, color correction, chroma key, or keyframing Vegas Pro 14 will deliver.

While overall a great program, there are several small annoyances. Keyboard shortcuts are somehow counter-intuitive no matter how much of an experienced video editor you are . Nonetheless, once you get used to it, Vegas Pro 14 offers you all the editing tools considered requirements in industry standards plus more.

Check plans and pricing for Vegas Pro

So there you have it, two of the best professional video editing software for 2017. All that’s left is for you to decide which one best fits your needs. Then start digging for tutorials. For Adobe Premiere Pro here’s a great list I compiled of the 15 best tutorials. Get out there and start video editing!